Draft arm nozzle



Nov. 14, 1939. M. J. BROWN 2,179,611

DRAFT ARM Nozzms;

Filed Feb. 28, 1939 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAFT ARM NOZZLE Mortimer'J. Brown, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

Application February 28, 1939, Serial No. 258,892

6 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for discharging supersaturated aqueous solutions of carbon dioxide, such as carbonated beverages, beer, etc., without excessive loss of dissolved gas, and has for its object to provide a new and improved apparatus for this purpose.

1n my Patent #1,956,143 of April 24, 1934, I disclosed a new method for discharging carbonated water from pressure containers. The most importantJ feature of said method was the 'use of friction between a thin nlm of rapidly moving Water, and a smooth braking surface, for the purpose of reducing the velocity of the liquid, Without violence.

As carbonated water is used at soda fountains, in the home, etc., and drawn into drinking glasses for use, the rate of withdrawal into glasses is of the order of about one ounce per second. Also, the pressure used in the pressure containers is usually about 125 pounds per square inch. Since carbonated Water loses its gas of supersaturation when handled violently, itis highly desirable to deliver the water into the glass in a slow stream. However, it is physically impossible to draw water from a pressure container at 125 pounds pressure, and at a rate of one ounce per second, without developing a very high velocity of the liquid at a point immediately on the low-pressure side of the controlling orifice.

According to the invention disclosed in Patent #1,956,143, I pass Water through an orifice which has one very small dimension so as to deliver a rapidly moving film of Water. Furthermore, that film is discharged in contact with a smooth braking surface which functions also as a collector to gather together all of the Water, after its velocity is reduced, for delivery at one point. The apparatus disclosed in my above-mentioned patent included a precise adjustment of the orifice, which adjustment was fixed and invariable until it was changed by the operator. In practical use, the necessity of making such adjustment was found to be undesirable, and it was also foundthat fine solid particles had a tendency to clog the orifice,

' the clearance of which was only a few thousandths of an inch.

My present invention uses the basic principle of Patent #1,956,143. The orifice, however, is not fixed, but is automatically variable, entirely closed when water is not passing through it, and never open more than is necessary to carry the Water that is passing through it. I accomplish this by building the orifice as a pop-off valve, with the movable face of the orice of a material sufliciently elastic and resilient to favor an even distribution of the Water along the entire deliveryk opening of the orifice.

When the apparatus of my prior patent is used, with or without the present new improvement, the device for permitting the Water to flow or prevent it from flowing, is up in the head of the draft arm. Any good mechanism may be used. With an accurately adjusted orice as disclosed in the prior patent, the full pressure drop was taken at the fixed orifice. With the present im- 10 provement hereinafter disclosed, a part of the pressure drop is taken up in the head at the on and-off control, and a part is taken at the popoff orifice which delivers the thin film of water to the braking surface. 15

While theoretically it is better to take all of the drop of pressure at the orifice which delivers the thin film of water to the braking surface, practically there is little difference in this respect between the older and the improved equipment, because of the relative temperatures that prevail in the carbonator where the carbonated water is made, and in the Water as it passes through the draft arm. Because of the nal refrigeration just before it goes into the draft arm, the water is not completely saturated when it passes through the on-and-ofl control. The tendency for the gas to leave the Water is not substantial until the pressure falls to such a point that the water is supersaturated. Asa matter of fact, the draft arms using the principle of Patent #1,956,143, and the improvement I am here disclosing, give strikingly better results than any other draft arms I know about that do not use my main principle.

The various features and advantages of the present invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a standard soda fountain faucet arm with my improved draft arm nozzle applied thereto; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said nozzle.

In the drawing I show a standard soda'fountain faucet arm I leading to a rotary valve 2 operated by handle 3 and adapted to be connected either to port 4 or port 5. The port 4 leads to passage 6 in the valve body while port 5 leads to a passage 1 as shown in Fig. l.

The nozzle of my invention comprises a body portion 8, preferably of metal, having a threaded neck 9 which is screwed into the head of the draft arm as shown in Fig. 1. When thus screwed in place, the passage 6 of the valve body communicates with a central passage IIJ in the stem of my attachment for discharging the usual needle'stream through orifice I2, while passage 1 of the valve body communicates with the annular passage I3 in the body portion 8 of my attachment. Since this invention does not pertain to the needle stream, it need not be discussed here.

When water is delivered to the annular passage I3, it passes downward through the passages I4 to the annular orifice chamber I5. On the under side of the body is the rubber disc I6, and there is a small annular opening from chamber I5 to the face of the rubber disc I6. Below the rubber disc is a washer I'I, below that a compression spring I8, and below that a nut I9. The combination of nut, spring and washer makes it possible to exert a pressure on the under side of the rubber disc I6 so as to force it up against the under side of the body 8. The under side of the body 8 is concave, turning downwardly and joining flush with the inside walls of the conical collector 20, thus constituting the smooth polished braking surface 2| the central portion of which surrounds the opening in chamber I5 and forms a seat for the disc I8. I

In operation, the/pressure of the spring I8 on the disc I6 is adjusted at a point low enough so that the water pressure from above can force the resilient disc away from the braking surface, so that it functions as a pop-off valve. Whether the flow of water be large or small, the disc I6 moves only suiciently to let the water escape. The water escapes uniformly in all directions, in a thin film at high velocity, and in contact with the braking surface.

In accordance with the principle as disclosed in my Patent #1,956,143, the braking surface 2I extends in the direction of discharge and holds the film in contact therewith until its velocity is substantially reduced. The water loses its velocity rapidly, without collisions of any kind, and is simultaneously collected into a single stream of moderate velocity as it escapes from -the final outlet 22.

For the disc I8, I prefer to use a vulcanized gum rubber. The center hole of the disc is made quite small so that after being stretched around the stem, it is tight enough so as not to leak at that point. The washer I'I is made so that it exerts its pressure at the periphery of the disc. The same effect can be had by molding the disc of such dimensions that it is thicker at the periphery, and then using a flat washer.

It will be seen that my invention resides in adapting the principle of the pop-off valve to equipment wherein the principle of my Patent #1,956,143 is embodied. The result obtalned'is an automatic adjustment ofthe orifice to any rate of flow as it may be determined by the on-and-off control mechanism in the complete assembly. The invention can be applied to any sort of control valve for the use of carbonated water.

'I'he invention claimed is:

1. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying' liquid under prassure, an orifice chamber connected thereto, and a braking surface outwardly of said orifice chamber extending in the direction of discharge, of a valve normally closing said orifice chamber and actuated by the pressure of the liquid in said chamber to discharge said liquidv in contact with said braking surface.

2. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying liquid under pressure, an annular orifice chamber connected thereto, and a braking surface outwardly of said orifice chamber extending in the direction of discharge, of a pop-off valve including a resilient disc normally closing said orifice chamber and actuated by the pressure of the liquid on said disc to discharge said liquid in contact with said braking surface.

3. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying liquid under pressure, an annular orifice chamber connected thereto, and a concave braking surface outwardly of said orifice chamber extending in the direction of discharge, of a pop-off valve including a resilient disc normally seated on said braking surface to close said orifice chamber and tensioned to open -uniformly under pressure of said liquid to provide an even distribution of liquid over said braking surface.

4. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying liquid under pressure, an annular orifice chamber connected thereto, and a concave braking surface outwardly of said orifice chamber extending in the direction of discharge, of a pop-off valve including a Aresilient disc normally seated on said braking surface to close said orifice and a spring exerting tension about the periphery of said disc to insure uniform opening` of said valve andan even distribution of liquid in contact with said braking surface.

5. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying liquid under pressure, an annular orifice chamber connected thereto, and a concave braking surface outwardly of said orifice chamber extending in the direction of discharge, of a pop-off valve including a valve stem disposed centrally of said orifice chamber, a resilient disc supported by said stem, and a compression spring surrounding said stem and acting on said disc to close said orifice chamber, said spring exerting tension about the periphery of said disc and being actuated by the pressure of the liquid in said orifice chamber to discharge said liquid evenly in contact with said braking surface. l

6. In a carbonated liquid discharge device, the combination with means for supplying liquid under pressure, an orifice chamber connected thereto, and a braking surface extending from the low-pressure side of the orifice, of a pop-offvalve tensioned to open under the pressure of the liquid and positioned to deliver the liquid in contact with the braking surface and in a direction substantially parallel to the braking surface.

MORIIMER J. BROWN. 

